


Curl Up Next To Me

by forgetmenotjimmy



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Animal Transformation, Cat Casey, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Government Agencies, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Magical Realism, Post-Break Up, Requited Love, Unexplained Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 05:05:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19055803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgetmenotjimmy/pseuds/forgetmenotjimmy
Summary: Severide was on edge as 81 pulled in to the station. They’d called ahead to say there’d been a problem, though Herrmann hadn't been able to specify exactly what. Truck all climbed out and Severide failed to see Casey among them. His heart almost stopped. Then Herrmann was walking towards him and opening his turnout coat. Severide frowned.“Is that a…?” Otis popped up and said with glee.“It’s Cat Casey!”





	Curl Up Next To Me

It started as any other shift. Roll call held some minor announcements which Kelly half-listened to, the other part of his concentration was focused on trying to surreptitiously gauge Matt’s mood. Ever since Dawson had transferred out he’d been up and down. Or rather, flat and down. Matt was typically a pretty taciturn guy, so it was obvious when he was in a good mood: whistling and bouncing around, joining in the station’s hijinks. Neutral and sad Matt were pretty similar to those who didn’t know him as well as Kelly did. Sad Matt isolated himself more and micro-expressions gave away his preoccupation.

In extreme cases – such as just after Hallie’s death – Matt would get more reckless on calls, more likely to risk himself before he needed to. He didn’t think that Matt was feeling that bad, but he still made a point to watch him when on calls together. That particular shift, Kelly was fairly sure that Matt was at neutral so he didn’t watch as 81 raced out to their first call of the day. An hour later, he desperately wished that he had.

He’d been sitting at the squad table when Connie had found him. Entering Boden’s office, Kelly’s stomach plummeted as he saw the grave expressions on his chief’s face. _No,_ Kelly thought desperately, _not Matt_. Boden started gravely.

“There’s been an incident on 81’s call. Lieutenant Casey has been…” he hesitated, as if unsure what words to use, Kelly’s heart shredding itself as he waited, “put out of commission.” Boden settled on, still looking uncomfortable. Kelly swallowed and his temper flared at that completely unhelpful information. “Herrmann couldn’t give details over the radio so we’ll debrief when they return.” Kelly managed to nod and go outside to wait.

Needless to say, Kelly was on edge as 81 pulled in to the station. Truck all climbed out and Severide failed to see Casey among them. His heart almost stopped. Then Herrmann was walking towards him and opening his turnout coat. Kelly frowned.

“Is that a…?” Otis popped up and said with glee.

“It’s Cat Casey!”

“Cat…Casey?” Kelly repeated dumbly, watching the cat in Herrmann’s turnout coat sniffing. Herrmann looked like he was still having trouble believing it, raising his shoulders minutely at Kelly’s unspoken questions. The rest of squad were now gathered and gawking. Otis spoke to the crowd like a miracle-cure peddler.

“Step right up to see the Amazing Lieutenant Whiskers!” The cat twitched said whiskers, eying the crowd warily.

“What the Hell?” Kelly barked, confused and angry. Otis held his hand up.

“Hey, I didn’t do it. Though personally, I think he makes a very handsome kitty.” Herrmann scoffed at that.

“Don’t call your Lieutenant a kitty.”

“He is though!” Otis protested, trying and failing to get support from the others, who just shook their heads.

“Herrmann!” Boden called from the door. “Bring him to my office. The rest of you – don’t you have any work to do?” Kelly followed Herrmann into the office, glad no one protested his presence. Herrmann began explaining matter-of-factly.

“The short of it chief, is that the call was a false alarm. At least there wasn’t a fire. We went into the house and found the source of the smoke was some kind of voodoo magic workshop. At first we thought it was some huge pot of incense – it smelled really funky – but then it blew up in Casey’s face and the next thing I know, his clothes are on the floor and there’s a cat under his turnout coat.” Although his tone was his usual ‘incredulous-in-the-face-of-weird-stuff’, his voice wobbled slightly as he described watching Casey disappear. The little face still nestled in his coat looked up at him and then he meowed quietly. Everyone looked down at Matt.

After a moment, Boden said to the cat perfectly seriously.

“Casey?” The cat looked at him, the shade of his bright blue eyes an exact replica of Casey’s. “Are you alright?” The cat meowed and then, inexplicably looking annoyed, nodded carefully. Kelly blinked, resisting the urge to rub his eyes cartoonishly. The cat had just nodded; it was unmistakeable even as Kelly struggled to believe that this cat was his best friend.

As he grappled with the idea, the cat – Matt – began trying to climb out of Herrmann’s coat.

“Ah, hold on, here you go.” Herrmann went to the desk and gently deposited his Lieutenant onto it. There was something about the way the cat settled on the desk and then glanced at them awkwardly that fully convinced Kelly it was Matt.

Oh God, Matt was a cat! Boden broke the uncomfortable silence.

“Well, you should go write up your report Herrmann. I’ll make some calls, see if we can’t get you back to normal before end of shift.” Matt nodded in such a Matt-way – short but not too sharp – that it creeped Kelly out a little. Boden looked between them. “Maybe you should take Casey to your office, give him some privacy.” Kelly started.

“Right.” He reached out his arms but Casey jumped down off the desk and lead the way, Kelly hurrying after him. They got some stares from everyone loitering in the corridors but Casey ignored them all. Though he stopped at the double doors to the bunk room – seizing them up as if he was calculating how to open them.

“Hey, let me.” Kelly said, sliding forward and gently pushing one of the doors open. Matt meowed and darted in, Kelly following with a funny feeling in his gut. When he caught up with his feline friend, Kelly tried not to stare as Casey leapt onto his desk, slipping a little on some papers there. He looked sheepish, carefully stepping off them onto a bare piece of desk.

Kelly came over and shuffled the papers into a tidy pile, Casey craning a little to look up at him. Feeling a little like he was having an out-of-body experience, Kelly resisted the urge to pet his best friend. His fur _did_ look very soft but…it was still Matt! Matt who stiffened whenever someone hugged him unexpectedly and avoided talking about his feelings like the plague.

The moment stretched on, Matt’s eyes that were familiar but foreign fixed on Kelly, assessing him. Kelly cleared his throat and sat down. His plan to do paperwork, however, was derailed by Matt’s presence. Seeing he was in the way of Kelly’s elbows, Matt gave an embarrassed meep and leapt off, crawling under Kelly’s bed. Feeling bad, Kelly suggested.

“You can…hang out _on_ my bed if you want.” Silence met his suggestion and Kelly glanced up to see three heads peering at him through the glass. On seeing him notice them, they ducked down but Kelly still got up and closed the blinds. “It’s okay, they’re gone now. It’s just you and me.” No reply. Kelly just stopped short of hitting himself – what had he expected? He crouched down and looked under the bed, heart constricting as he saw Matt scrunched into a ball, eyeing him cautiously.

Trying to ignore the ridiculousness of the situation, he announced.

“I closed the blinds so it’s just you and me. You can sleep on my bed if you want; I won’t need it for a while.” Matt’s nose twitched a little but otherwise he kept completely still. Kelly smiled awkwardly. “Okay, well, the offer’s open. I’ll be right here if you need me.” He waited another beat before crawling back and going to his paperwork.

The next few hours were thankfully quiet, though Boden and Herrmann were kept busy being interrogated by seemingly everyone from CFD brass, PD and even the FBI. No one appeared to be equipped to deal with this special case until two suits arrived at the firehouse. They came so suddenly that Kelly was only made aware of them when Boden brought them to his office.

“Lieutenant, sorry to interrupt. Can we come in? They’re here about Casey.” Kelly eyed them and even from his limited new took an instant dislike to the man’s neutral expression and unnaturally tidy hair. The woman looked less severe, with a friendlier expression and a few hairs out of place. Kelly decided to make the best of it and only talk to her; so he nodded and stood, pushing in his desk chair so they could all fit in.

“So where are you guys from?”

“Special division of the FBI. Agent Scranton and Denver.” The woman, Denver, introduced them shortly. “We’re investigating the incident from this morning.” She glanced around the small room before asking with a knowing tone. “Under the bed?” Kelly nodded but stopped her as she went to crouch down.

“Wait, it’d be better with a friendly face.” She nodded and trying to ignore the audience, Kelly got to his knees and smiled reassuringly. “Hey buddy.” Matt’s eyes snapped to his, body taught and fur looking one loud noise away from bristling. Kelly’s plan to talk to Matt normally completely flew out the window and he found himself almost cooing. “It’s okay; no one’s going to hurt you. They just want to talk, try and figure out what happened.” Those bright eyes pierced him for a long moment before Matt began to crawl forward cautiously. Kelly scooted back, very aware of the audience right on his ass.

Slowly, Matt emerged from under the bed, craning his neck to try and see the new comers. Kelly stayed on his knees as Matt jumped onto the bed and backed up, eyeing up everyone.

“Lieutenant.” Agent Scranton spoke formally. “We want to ask you some questions about the incident; can you nod and shake your head?” Matt nodded after a moment and the agent retrieved a notepad from his inner pocket.

Thus began the strangest interview Kelly had ever witnessed. The agent was limited to yes, no questions but he obviously had experience with witnesses who couldn’t talk as he never slipped up, seemingly having questions tailor-made for the situation. It even sounded like they already had an idea about what had happened. For example: the agent asked about the colour of the smoke, if it was blue (which it had been).

At one point, Denver got out a strange-looking device and asked Matt if he didn’t mind being scanned for abnormal energy readings. Matt glared at the device, which resembled a drug scanner they use at airports. Boden interjected.

“How invasive is it?” The female agent gave a small, reassuring smile.

“Only a surface scanner – you won’t feel a thing.” After another assessing glance, Matt nodded carefully but as the agent knelt down as non-threateningly as possible, Kelly still saw his tail swish a little. He was struck again by the absurdity of his best friend now being a _cat_. Matt’s pink little nose twitched as he sniffed the instrument and Kelly had to quash a ‘d’aww’ which had sprung up at the sight.

Instead he focused on watching Denver carefully hover the thing over Matt, who kept swivelling his head to watch it.

“Stay still, please Lieutenant.” Matt narrowed his eyes at the direction but forced himself to stop moving. His body was still stiff thought and Kelly fought to keep his impatience off his face. He just wanted them to leave. Eventually, she sat back, looking at the readout. She looked up and nodded at Scranton. Boden glanced between them, asking with thinly-veiled frustration and concern.

“What is it?” Denver stood back up and Kelly resisted the urge to stroke Matt reassuringly.

“He carries the same reading that we found at the scene. They aren’t life-threatening,” she reassured them quickly, “just very inconvenient.”

“I’ll say.” Kelly added sarcastically but he was mostly ignored as Scranton picked up the narrative.

“We are tracking the source of the readings now and once we find them, they should be able to return the Lieutenant to his original form.”

“Should?” Kelly repeated and Boden crossed his arms.

“What kind of source are you talking about?” Scranton lips thinned ever so slightly.

“Nothing you need concern yourselves with.”

“How long?” Kelly asked. He hadn’t even thought that Matt would want to know until Matt gave him what he thought was a thankful look. Denver looked like she was doing some calculations in her head before answering.

“Hard to say, anywhere between a few hours to a few weeks.” Kelly gulped and looked down at his friend. Matt was even harder to read but he held Kelly’s gaze, tail still where it lay on the bed. Denver said reassuringly. “Even if we never find the source, the readings are nowhere near strong enough for a permanent transformation. You could turn back to yourself on your own.”

“You sure about that?” Boden asked in an uncompromising tone. Scranton and Denver exchanged a micro-glance before Scranton explained almost dryly.

“If he doesn’t, he’d be the first in history not to.”

“We’re sure.” Denver cut in before anyone could react to the quip. She turned back to Matt – who’d been watching them with ever increasing agitation; except clenched fists had been replaced with a swishing tail and bristling fur. Over the tense pause, Denver went on. “We have a facility nearby if you would come with us-” Matt full-on hissed as Kelly stood, making a sound of protest and Boden said loudly.

“You said he could stay here.” Scranton didn’t flinch but Denver held up her hand. She said to Matt.

“Of course you are not obligated to go anywhere we just thought you’d be more comfortable somewhere we’re equipped to deal with these kinds of incidents.”

“Well he’s not.” Kelly concluded firmly. Scranton nodded, his expression unchanged.

“Contact us immediately if anything changes.” Boden took the card Scranton handed him, shoulder still tense and face stony. “Anything out of the ordinary.” Scranton insisted. Kelly held back a snarky comment about cat firefighters and edged out of the agents’ way. When they were gone – relating further instructions to Boden – Kelly let out a long breath and looked down at Matt. Matt was looking back at him, but then broke eye contact to briefly lick his shoulder. Kelly frowned, wondering how much of Matt was still in there and how much was cat. Matt looked back up, one ear flicking before he meowed almost tentatively.

“Yeah, I know.” Kelly tried, knowing what Matt would have said if he was still human. Matt regarded him for a long moment before meowing again, louder and more insistently. Kelly frowned. Matt obviously wanted something. “Uh…” He watched as Matt raised a paw and curled it towards his mouth. “Oh! You’re hungry.” Matt meowed; half-triumphant and half-plaintive. Kelly looked towards the bunk room, thinking. “You want me to get you something and bring it back here?” Looking awkward, Matt nodded, paws kneading Kelly’s sheets. Kelly nodded, added unnecessarily: “I’ll be right back” and then left.

…

As he waited for Kelly to return, Matt set about exploring all the interesting smells in his friend’s office. He’d been too tired and embarrassed earlier when he’d been hiding under Kelly’s bed like a little kid. He sniffed at the things on Kelly’s bedside table. There was the distant scent of some kind of food – something salty. Hmm… Matt jumped off the bed and padded around the perimeter, trying to get used to his – thankfully temporary – new body.

He was glad to have slept off the weighty exhaustion that had plagued him since he’d looked up at Herrmann and realised he was naked. And covered in fur. And a cat.

His anxiety had spiked with the visit of the agents with their questions and strange device. To his shame, he’d been unable to control the hiss which had erupted from him as his fur had stood up and his limbs had tensed. He’d been glad for Boden and Kelly’s swift refusal to hand him over to the spooks, despite still feeling intimidated by their giant size and booming voices. He’d never considered how vulnerable cats might feel surrounded by people and vowed to speak more softly to any cats he met in the future.

Reaching the desk, he jumped onto the chair, cautious of the slight wobble as he stretched up, front paws resting on the desk. He blinked; everything looked so different, just shades of grey. He tried to read one of the forms but couldn’t focus long enough to make out the words. His super sensitive ears alerted him to someone approaching and he sat back on the chair – waiting anxiously.

Should he go back under the bed? It didn’t sound like Kelly’s footsteps. He decided to jump down but the chair moved as he did, his back paw knocking against the arm rest. He yowled as his landing was made awkward and he had to jump away from the door opening.

“Hello? I thought I heard…” It was a woman’s voice. Matt looked up at her from behind the chair. Sylvie spotted him and visibly swallowed her instinctual reaction. “Matt!” Tentatively, he padded around the chair, analysing her scent. She smelled of sharp chemicals, dairy and something else, something floral. He liked Sylvie; they’d commiserated together after Gabby had left and become friends. She bent down and held her hand out. Instinctively, he sniffed it and rubbed his cheek against it. He felt, more than saw, her relax and as she scratched behind one of his ears, his eyes closed of their own accord. He started purring. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She said fondly with a tinge of relief. He just purred and then there was a loud cough from behind her. She jumped, jolting Matt out of his bliss.

Kelly was looking down at them, tray in hand and an odd expression on his face. Sylvie blushed and excused herself. Matt also felt embarrassed at essentially being petting by a work colleague. He ran and jumped onto the bed, hoping the incident could be chalked down to being a cat and trying not to think about how good it had felt. Kelly put the tray on the desk and Matt could smell something fishy – tuna?

“There weren’t many cat-friendly options.” He said a little apologetically, wiping his hands on his pants. “Uh, do you want me to put it on the floor? Easier to uh…get at.” If he wasn’t feeling awkward himself, Matt would have laughed at Kelly’s stumbling speech. And you know, if he wasn’t a cat. Could cats laugh? Matt swiped the thought away and nodded slowly, jumping onto the floor. Kelly laid the tray – with a bowl of water and one of tuna – in the corner next to his bedside table. Suddenly starving, Matt descended on the tuna ravenously, letting instinct take over. Never had he enjoyed fish so much.

…

Concentrating on his work was almost impossible with both the sounds of Matt eating behind him and the image of Sylvie stroking him in his head. What, he’d been gone for two minutes and Matt had unwound enough around _Sylvie_ to be petted? Had she been waiting? Did they have something going on Kelly didn’t know about? Matt had been purring! No, Kelly hadn’t liked it at all – had tried to hide his annoyance as he’d interrupted them. He tried to push down all the swirling thoughts and focus on finishing his paperwork.

After a while, he heard a small meow from beside him. Matt was looking up, still licking around his mouth. He meowed again and put his paw on Kelly’s leg. Tensing, very conscious of accidentally hurting the fuzz ball, Kelly hummed in question.

“Do you need something else?” Matt shook his head and padded away to sit beside the bed, grooming himself. Kelly watched, transfixed for a moment, before turning back to his paperwork – which unsurprisingly remained impossible to do.

Thankfully, the bells went off right then. He sprang up, sparing a glance at Matt who’d also jumped in surprise and ordered: “stay here!” before racing off. As he pulled on his turnout gear and avoided eye contact with the other firefighters, Kelly hoped that Matt would be able to stay out of trouble for however long the call would take. A fire house wasn’t exactly a safe place, let alone for a small bundle of fur without opposable thumbs or the ability to speak. Although Matt was resourceful and smart. He’d be alright. Right?

…

Matt stared at the space Kelly had been for a long time. The shock of the loud, sudden noise wore off, being replaced by a fear that Kelly wouldn’t ever come back. It was a familiar feeling at least – worrying about Kelly was second nature to him after so many years. Though now he couldn’t distract himself with paperwork or his own calls. Matt went to drink some water of something to do, marvelling at the strangeness of how his tongue lapped up the water like a little shovel. After he had his fill, he jumped back onto Kelly’s bed, the scent calming. He began to groom himself again and basked in the therapeutic effect. His mind went blank and he didn’t think about anything for a while.

Once satisfied, he curled up close to Kelly’s pillow and napped. Sometime later, he heard movement outside and got up, stretching. When the footsteps went past, he concluded that squad 3 was still at the scene, or Kelly was just delayed. His tail swished as he tried to push down the anxiety over Kelly’s absence. With embarrassment, he realised that he needed to relieve himself. Where the Hell was he going to go?

He was loath to leave the station, even to the patch of green outside, but on the other hand, he wasn’t entirely confident he could pull off going in the toilets either. What if he fell in? His fur bristled at the idea. Unsure whether he felt more or less awkward without Kelly there, Matt set about trying to open the office door.

Kelly had left it ajar when he’d dashed out earlier – enough so Matt could hook a paw in and pull. The door was heavy though and no matter how hard he pulled, it was just too awkward an angle. Yowling in frustration, he inched more of his foreleg in, up to the shoulder, paw scrabbling for purchase on the other side.

Footsteps startling him, he drew back hurriedly. Letting out a mrrup as the door opened. It was Boden. He was giant!

“Casey!” He boomed, surprise mingling with concern. Matt meowed back, feeling pathetic but not knowing how to mime toilet when he only had paws. “Are you okay?” Matt jumped onto Kelly’s bed and meowed again. Boden frowned. “Are you hungry? I thought Severide gave you…” He saw the tray and trailed off. Then it clicked. “Oh!” Matt’s new meow was almost a whine. Boden looked around, apparently thoroughly out of his depth. “Uh…” Matt made a decision and raised a paw, pointing to the window. It took a minute but Boden made the connection. “Oh, uh, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.” Matt just stared at him, trying to impart the great indignity of a litter tray. He was still a Lieutenant, dammit!

As if sensing the gist of Matt’s thoughts, Boden relented. He ducked his head out to check the coast.

“Come on.” He signalled and Matt followed him out, trotting to keep up with Boden’s long strides. There were some people around but Matt didn’t look up to check faces and Boden didn’t stop. They made it out behind the kitchen and after Matt glared Boden into looking away, he found some loose earth and tried to relax.

When he trotted back, Boden cleared his throat. “If this…situation lasts longer than this shift, we might have to think of a better solution.” Suppressing a shiver at the thought of being trapped in that weak body for much longer, Matt just swung his tail and moved purposefully towards the door. He could think more about it after another nap.

The kitchen seemed more crowded as they went back and Matt’s ears flew back as a loud shout sounded.

“Lieutenant!” A big person called to him from the long table. He couldn’t see who it was from the angle and he didn’t really want to stop. Just Boden and Kelly seeing him like that was bad enough, let alone everyone else. He couldn’t see, but he was sure they were all staring. So he just meowed as he went past, hyper-aware that any of them could reach out and grab him. Why were they so big and loud?

As he slunk into the corridor, he heard a high-pitched coo.

“Oh! Isn’t she adorable! Here kitty, kitty.” Some woman he’d never seen before came striding quickly toward him. He tried to swerve around her but she stepped in front of him, almost pinning him against the wall. Hackles rising, Matt sidestepped, ignoring her outstretched hand. “Such a beautiful coat!” The woman went on as if he wasn’t attempting to escape her attention. Boden had caught up with him and was saying something but that didn’t stop her from stroking him firmly along his spine.

Body dipping from the force of it, Mat kept on walking as fast as he could with her stroke-attack forcing him to still every second step. A little distressed mew escaped him and he couldn’t even be embarrassed by it.

“There you are.” Came a familiar voice and someone scooped him up. Kelly’s smell registered first so Matt relaxed despite himself. Kelly draped him over his chest, one hand under Matt’s hind legs and another wrapped loosely around his shoulders. With just enough space to manoeuvre, Matt turned to look properly at his attacker. She had a nice face, but it was currently scrunched in disgruntlement.

“What’s her name?” She recovered quickly. Matt felt Kelly’s chest vibrate though he didn’t laugh out loud. Matt barely resisted the urge to bare his claws in displeasure.

“Matt.” Kelly answered with a smile in his voice, but Matt forgave him as he sidestepped her and took Matt back to his office. “Why am I surprised you’re still irresistible to the ladies?” Kelly asked jokingly as he deposited Matt onto his bed. Matt walked around a little before sitting and looking at Kelly. He tried to meow his thanks and was glad when Kelly smiled. “You’re welcome.”

He wanted to ask how the call had gone – even if he knew Kelly wouldn’t report being bothered or troubled by anything, he still liked to ask. It was probably the same reason Kelly asked him too; to give the opportunity to say something, letting him know that someone was always there. He scanned Kelly, who had straightened and was doing the same thing back.

“You good?” Kelly asked casually. Matt nodded and lifted a paw to point at Kelly, meowing in question. Kelly smiled. “Yeah. You need anything else?” Boden poked his head in, looking at them both.

“Everything okay?” Kelly glanced at Matt who nodded. Boden tapped the doorframe, hesitating before asking. “No changes?” Mat shook his head – which felt even stranger than nodding, the cat part of his brain questioning where the prey was. After Boden had nodded to both of them and left, Matt looked up at Kelly again, seeing his thought on Kelly’s face. Boden was really concerned. The moment stretched on till Kelly seemed to snap out of it. He glanced down at the tray.

“I’m gonna grab some lunch, you want anything?” Not hungry again, Matt shook his head. “Alright, I’ll be back in a sec.” Feeling guilty about disrupting Kelly’s usual lunch with his squad, Matt tried to convey that he’d be fine on his own. Kelly didn’t seem to understand his meow and head movement. “Uh, you want to come too?” He asked, seriously doubt in his tone. Matt shook his head. He extended a paw out to Kelly and then pointed it to the door. Kelly just frowned at him. Matt scowled – though he wasn’t sure what that looked like on a cat’s face – and lowered the paw a little, hoping Kelly would understand the ‘stay put’ motion.

Thankfully, it clicked. “Oh, you’re saying I should stay there.” One of his eyebrows ticked up. “You’re kicking me out of my own office?” Matt just stared at him, tail twitching in a thoroughly unimpressed way. Kelly sobered a little. “Okay, but I’ll leave the door open so you can come get me if you need to. I’ll be in the break room.” Crowded, but infinitely safer than the squad table next to the rigs. Matt meowed in acknowledgement and then busied himself kneading the bed next to Kelly’s pillow. The smell was strongest there and as he curled up for another nap he thought fleetingly that being a cat had some perks.

…

Kelly really hoped Matt would turn back soon. His insides hadn’t settled since he’d returned from the call and seen Matt cornered by some over-affectionate civilian. Holding the small, warm body in his arms, feeling the sot fur under his hands and fast heartbeat against his chest had set his intestines squirming. Then Matt had been looking up at him with his big eyes and settling down on his bed and that had sent further flutters inside him.

Kelly had always likened Matt to a cat. Though confident and authoritative on the job, Matt could be incredibly guarded and defensive in his personal life. It had been worse when they’d first met at the Academy, Matt then a skinny 18-year-old with the spectre of his parent’s deeds hanging over him, colouring his interactions with his peers. If it hadn’t been for Andy instantly wanting to adopt the waif, Kelly might never have bothered to try and get close to him.

Kelly had also noticed that his friend was what some might call conventionally attractive. Whilst he never took advantage of his looks like Kelly did, he wasn’t ever single for long either. Turning into an actual cat distilled all elements of Matt that Kelly found adorable; blonde hair/fur, deep blue eyes, quiet and stoic but also fun-loving and affectionate. The effect was surprisingly strong and Kelly found it 1,000 times harder than usual to keep his hands to himself.

He went to have lunch in the break room, gruffly fending off questions about the bizarre situation. He didn’t blame them for the curiosity but felt protective. Matt was a proud guy and to be paraded in front of everyone in that state would be horrible for him.

So then he tried to bury himself in his work again, despairing a little that there wasn’t more of it. Matt was napping; Kelly had briefly worried if that amount of sleeping was normal for cats. He knew there was a stereotype for a reason but how much sleep was healthy? Luckily the internet had the answer so he didn’t disturb the fuzzy ball.

Evening rolled around and a knock on Kelly’s door woke the cat. It was Otis.

“Lieutenants.” He greeted them and then turned to Matt. “I just want to apologise Lieutenant, if I made you uncomfortable.” Matt had sat up on his haunches by then and after a pause, meowed. It sounded forgiving and after glancing at Kelly, Otis went on. “We’ve found a laser pointer if you wanted…” He trailed off as if hearing how that sounded but Matt stretched and leapt off the bed, trotting over to Otis.

“Guess he does want to try it.” Kelly commented, curious himself as to… Otis clicked it on and Matt noticed the red dot immediately, body tensing. His tail quivered as his head dipped. There was a tense silence, Kelly noticing that the noises outside the room had stopped as well. Then Matt pounced and Otis darted the light away, Matt giving chase. He ran out into the bunk room, sounds of the others cheering him on as he went. Kelly stood up and leaned against his doorframe, smile playing on his lips as Matt and Otis ran around.

Once everyone was worn out and dinner had been eaten by all, Kelly spotting a few people slipping Matt some pieces of chicken from their plates, Matt sat on Kelly’s desk and watched him getting ready for bed.

“I’m gonna leave the door open so you can come and go.” He told the cat, trying to think of any other obstacle Matt might face in the night. Matt nodded and meowed but didn’t move. with the door open, they could hear everyone else in the bunk room, laughing and joking. Kelly supposed that Matt was waiting for things to settle down before venturing out. “Night.” He said and shut off the light. Matt meowed in reply. Sometime later, Kelly heard a light thump and footsteps out of the room. Switching off his thoughts, he fell asleep.

...

The bells woke him around dawn. Grunting, he rolled over and was snapped fully awake by the feeling of a small, solid and slightly boney lump which yowled at him angrily.

“Wha...?” He managed, scrambling back as his brain whirred into action. He’d almost crushed Matt, he realised, Matt who’d been lying next to him. The sounds of the others hurrying out reminded him of the call so he turned on his bedside table lamp and saw a flick of a tail as Matt jumped away. Gut clenching but unable to do anything about the guilt, he rushed off to the rig. He felt doubly bad that he couldn’t remember the feeling of Matt sleeping beside him. It wasn’t until he was tugging on his turnout gear that he realised that Squad 3 hadn’t been called. His embarrassment was firmly wrenched up a gear as he slunk back into the bunk room, hoping no one would see him. At least no one but Matt.

Oh God. He should really apologise. As he pushed open the doors, movement drew his eye down. A dark shape darted past him with a soft mrrow. Checking that no one was stirring, he followed the shape to the break room. Matt slowed and jumped onto the couch, sniffing it curiously.

“Hey, I’m sorry about almost squishing you.” Matt looked up at him, considered him and then very deliberately patted the space next to him. Hesitating for only a moment, Kelly went and sat down gingerly. Matt put a paw on his thigh and meowed…in acceptance or in apology? Part of Kelly did wonder why the cat had been on his bed in the first place. Had he been cold? Or lonely?

“Cold?” He asked quietly. Matt regarded him for a long moment before nodding. He inched a little closer, fur brushing Kelly’s bare arm. Kelly tensed before carefully dislodging his arm and draping it lightly over Matt’s other side. Taking the invitation, Matt snuggled in more, his other paw joining the first on Kelly’s thigh, back arching as he rubbed against Kelly’s chest. Feeling confident it would be well-received, Kelly stroked the back of Matt’s head. Sure enough, Matt started purring and Kelly melted.

Until Matt’s claws slid out and began kneading his leg. Kelly grunted and shifted enough that Matt realised and sat back, meeping in apology. “Here.” Kelly said, retrieving a cushion and placing it over his lap. Matt looked pointedly back at the bunkroom but Kelly shrugged. “I was gonna get up soon anyway.” He did feel wide awake and would have much preferred to sit there with Matt than sleep anymore. Matt seemed to accept this explanation and resumed kneading the cushion, purring again as Kelly stroked him gently.

After a while, apparently satisfied with the squidginess of the cushion, Matt climbed onto it and curled up into a cute little ball. Kelly kept on stroking the top of his head, every so often dipping down to scritch behind his ears. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, just knowing that he felt at peace for the first time in a long time.

Eventually, he heard the sounds of the others stirring.

“Matt.” He tapped the little, furry head. A pair of sleepy eyes blinked up at him. “Time to get up.” Matt yawned, Kelly telling himself that he did _not_ find it cute, and gracefully dismounted, stretching as he went. Kelly restocked the food and water bowls as everyone prepared for the changeover. Boden called them into his office to ask them to stay until the two agents arrived later in the day.

“They apparently have a new development they want to share with us.” Not liking the vagueness but not about to refuse their help, Kelly just nodded.

“You can stay in my office till they get here.” He offered Matt who meowed in reply. Kelly didn’t miss Boden’s little smile at that and had to clamp down on his own.

So he and Matt hung out in comfortable silence. At one point Kelly left to use the restroom; when he came back the little fur ball was sleeping on his paperwork. A blue eye watched him as he sat back down and got out his phone, pretending to read something. When the cheeky cat had relaxed again, Kelly snuck a stealth photo. Oh yeah, he definitely wanted that as a keepsake. Water bottle empty, he crept up and out to go to the kitchen. He was surprised and a little apprehensive to almost bump into Boden right outside his office.

“Kelly, where are those reports? I need to file them today.”

“Uh…” Kelly stalled, before just stepping out of the way and pointing at the cause of the delay. Boden’s expression softened and Kelly bit his lip, suggesting faux-seriously.

“I’ll move him off-” Boden’s eyes snapped to his and he ordered with a harsh whisper and wagging finger.

“Don’t you dare!” But in the end, he did have to wake Matt as the agents arrived, carrying a heavy-looking suitcase. They went to the briefing room, closed the blinds and pulled out a tiny oxygen mask which they hooked up to a small aerosol can. Kelly got the idea, though the agents ominous presence still put him on edge. They put some plastic sheeting down and requested a towel and change of clothes. Matt sniffed everything curiously, tail flopping from side to side. When they were ready, Denver directed Matt to lie on the sheeting and draped the towel over him. She held the mask to his face and instructed.

“When I press the depressor. breathe in deeply. Then you should turn back into your old self.” Matt regarded her before his head swivelled and he found Kelly. Boden’s voice rumbled.

“Exactly how sure are you that this will work?” As Scranton answered condescendingly, Kelly tried to reassure Matt with his expression – knowing his friend would resent anyone hearing him being comforted. Matt nodded at him and then at Denver. She got everyone to step back and held the mask to his face as everyone else held their breath.

…

The chemical smelled exactly the same. That was all Matt registered before he noticed that he was naked again. Properly, human naked this time. Cheeks flushing despite the towel covering his modesty, Matt looked up at Kelly. He could see colour again and so took a quick second to appreciate the familiar blue of his friend’s eyes.

“Hi.” He said, voice hoarse. Kelly said hi back, looking astonished and relieved. Denver swooped in to do some scanning and declared he was now free from abnormal readings. “Thank you.” Matt said to the agents; Scranton barely acknowledged it but Denver smiled slightly. Boden showed the two agents out as Kelly handed Matt his clothes and averted his eyes. Once dressed again – relishing the feeling of independence, who knew opposable thumbs were so great? – Matt coughed. “Uh, thanks for…everything.” Kelly turned back, eyes sparkling.

“You’re welcome.” Matt’s stomach rumbled and they both laughed. “Brunch?” Kelly suggested and Matt nodded gratefully.

At the diner, once Matt had ensured his stomach wouldn’t eat itself anytime soon, Kelly asked.

“So what was it like?” Matt had to consider his answer as it was hard to describe.

“Everything was really loud. And huge. You and Boden were giants.” He shrugged, not sure what else to say. The memory of Kelly stroking him came to mind but he shoved it down ruthlessly. He would take the fact that he’d enjoyed it way too much to his grave. Kelly nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, it’s certainly one for the books.” Matt twisted his lip.

“Can’t wait for next shift and all of Otis’ cat jokes.” Kelly laughed a little.

“Oh you can’t blame them; you were a very cute cat.” Matt looked surprised at that but then he considered.

“Cats are cute I guess.” Kelly grinned mischievously.

“And what a cat you made.” Matt shot him a warning look and took a sip of coffee. Watching him, Kelly sobered a little. “So it wasn’t terrible or anything?” Matt tilted his head.

“I wouldn’t ever do it again but…there were some nice things: sleeping all the time, being able to zone out and relax and,” he hesitated, cursing internally as Kelly noticed. Flushing, he finished, “and the sensitive hearing was cool.” Kelly nodded and went on with his meal, seemingly as normal. He really wasn’t going to bring up the snuggling and petting incident? Suddenly, without thinking, he was apologising for it. Kelly blinked.

“Case, it’s fine. It was…nice.”

“It was?”

“Yeah, relaxing; like hanging out at the bar. Don’t worry about it.” Part of Matt was calmed by Kelly’s nonchalance. It wasn’t such a big deal. It was fine. He felt like he was being let off the hook. He also felt like it meant more to him than to his friend.

“It was nice for me too, maybe-” Matt cut himself off, now he was just being crazy. Kelly frowned.

“Maybe what?”

Everyone had been understanding and sympathetic after Gabby had left but that had actually made Matt feel worse. Ironically, he’d been experiencing guilt for _not_ feeling more upset. Of course he missed her: her compassion and drive and support had been great comforts for him when they’d been together. Overwhelmingly though, he’d felt relieved. Breathing was easier and he carried less tension in his shoulders. It was lonely in his apartment but also freeing. He held no obligations, he didn’t have to act happy. The longer she’d been gone, the more he realised how much better off he was out of the relationship. That didn’t mean he liked being alone though.

Curling up beside Kelly had been satisfying in a way that he couldn’t express in words – it had warmed him right through to his soul. Matt nodded at Kelly cautiously.

“Maybe we could do it again sometime.” Kelly stared at his vacantly for a moment before it clicked.

“Uh.”

“You know, if you want.” Matt added, breaking eye contact and looking out of the window. He almost jumped as he felt something settle over his hand. He looked down. It was Kelly. Eyes sliding up, he found understanding and desire there.

“I’d like that.”

…

After the following shift, after the ribbing and tins of tuna appearing in his locker and office, after Boden clapped him on the shoulder and Sylvie gave him a warm smile, after handing in his own report of the incident and on top of that a full shift, Matt and Kelly settled down in front of a trashy movie with beer and pizza. Once they’d eaten their fill, Matt ended up lying down, head in Kelly’s lap. They hadn’t talked about what it meant but Matt wasn’t worried. One of Kelly’s hands was in his hair, the other tangled with one of Matt’s. Matt closed his eyes and sighed. Above him, Kelly smiled to himself and heard the echo of a purr in his head.

They’d work out details and labels and everything else later – for now, they just needed this.

 Cat Casey!

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this redonkulous fic, hope you enjoyed it!  
> If you liked this, go and read 'Flee' by CottonCandyWhump, which is a purrrfect ficlet to accompany this story.  
> Unbeta'd so let me know if you spot anything.  
> :D


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